"The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for among old parchments or musty records. They are written, as with a sunbeam, in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the Divinity itself, and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power."
-Alexander Hamilton

Thursday, February 02, 2006

Saudi Interior Minister Prince Naif called on international religious institutions, especially the Vatican, to step into the developing row between Muslims and the European press over the publication of cartoons insulting the Prophet and condemn these actions.

The drawings originally appeared in a Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten in September and were later re-printed in a Norwegian publication and, earlier this week, in France, Italy, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands.

Now, let me preface the following statements with the fact that I know many Muslims who are loving people and fully reject violence.

But I think that it is a mistake, originating from their own theocratic state, for Saudi Arabia to assume that the Vatican controls the west. Or even just Italy. I am an Italian American, and even the Italian American culture keeps the concepts of Italy and the Church separate. In Italy itself it is even more so true.

I have seen, in my short lifetime, a Crucifix in a jar a urine called art. I have seen cartoons that demonize John Paul II. I have seen good priests judged as predators by a scandle hungry media because of the actions of sick and evil individuals in the Church. I've been told that Marian apparitions are really demons And have seen my faith presented in the light of what it was at the worst points in history, rather by the reforms it trys for today. It has all upset me.

But it has not made me call for the removal of ambassadors, burning of flags, threatened to take hostages or resort to physical violence.

What I have done is attempt to live my life as my faith truly teaches me. To love and respect others. To preach Christ's love by my actions. To be a living representative, to the best of my flawed ability, of Christ's love.

The Vatican will make a statement, of that I'm sure. I'm sure it will condemn the cartoons since they are disrespectful.

But I wish they would say:

Renounce the attacks in Iraq on Christian Churches, give the Coptic Christians the right to practice their faith without fear and a percentage representation in their own government based on their actual population, Renounce terror at its' root of Islamic fundamentalism not just in name only and act as you want the world to see Islam. Then we will condemn the cartoons, as we condemn all acts that try to generalize an entire faith by the acts of a few. We have done that to others in our history, and it has been done to us. So we do not approve.

That won't be what is said. But...it should be.

Hate is a cancer of fear and ignorance. Only by Love and knowledge of each other can it be cured. The opposite of love is not hate, but apathy. We must cease to be apathetic to the tears of the suffering.

8 comments:

Unfortuantely this whole cartoon thing is a perfect example of HYPORCRISY.

I don't know how intolerant people become angered when they, themselves, are not tolerated?!

It doesn't work that way...shouldn't it be a two-way street? You respect me and I respect you.

I hope the Vatican doesn not comment on this matter as it is not their problem. They weren't the ones that published the cartoons. It wasn't the Vatican's fault that muslims got upset over a Danish newspaper's cartoons.

I can't believe how muslims are trying to polarize the world. Is this "clash of civilizations" on the horizon?Hyper-sensitive muslims need to understand the concept of freedom of expression, speech, and religion...if it has to be the hard way, so be it. The world does not reveolve around their religion and not everybody has to apolgize EVERY time they are "offended."

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